ALASKA - August 2016

Juneau Alaska - 8.11.2016

After a long but uneventful day of travel yesterday, we arrived in Juneau about 9:30pm last night (three time zones west, it felt much later)! We grabbed a cab (no Uber) to the Silver Bow Inn in downtown Juneau. The hotel is a cozy, boutique style place with a funky, rustic style and thin walls. The proprietors came here from NYC 20 years ago to try out living in Alaska for a year - they quickly bought this place and are still here.

We had a decent nights sleep (ear plugs) and were just slightly thrown off by the time difference, but it’s not like we had to be anywhere. Breakfast was a “help yourself” experience in a kitchenette off the cozy lobby. Awesome food and fun to interact with the other guests, including a couple that was behind us on the plane last night. After breakfast, we walked around town and mixed with the cruise ship passengers poking around the shops.

It wasn’t exactly raining, more like the mist you feel when you’re in the middle of a cloud.

Juneau has just around 30,000 people - seems that the cruise ship business is a big part of their economy! It didn’t take us long to get the lay of the town and walk most of the commercial area of the downtown. We also saw State Capital building (under renovation), and the other highlights from our walking tour book. We came upon where Gold Creek flows into Gastineau Channel and saw that it was full of fish (salmon we guessed). We walked along the creek and were astonished to see them trying to get upstream.

We crossed the creek after watching the fish for a long time and headed into a combo grocery-hardware store - fun way to get a feel for a new town! Bought a few snacks and some additional bug spray - then back to the hotel.

We rested and snacked a bit - then put on our boots and headed up the Mount Roberts trail. Of course, the mist turned into real rain as we headed out - giving us a chance to try out our ponchos (mine is new since our kayak adventure). The town is built on a pretty steep hill - we climbed quite a bit before we even got to the trailhead. As we entered the trail - the rain tapered off, which was great as I was way too hot in my rain jacket AND my poncho.

The trail was beautiful. This part of the Alaskan panhandle is rain forest, so the dampness we felt today wasn’t just from rain. The plants were so lush - and large. It was like walking through the “Honey I Shrunk The Kids” movie set! The climb was steep and we were quickly missing our hiking poles (we are renting from our guides as we didn’t think we could get through airport security with them). We fashioned hiking sticks from some branches in the forest - and that made all the difference.

It was about three hours to the top of the Tram. As we got closer, we met a few cruise ship hikers - we gave our hiking sticks to the last group, and tried to discourage them from hiking the whole way down - they only had an hour and would have missed their boat for sure!

We decided to buy tickets to take the tram down, versus the risk of falling on the very slick trail. We went to the gift shop and learned that tickets were $10 each, but if we spent $10, they’d be “free.” I’m a master at spending money to save money - so that was no trouble for me!

It was a great ride down - crammed into the tram with cruise ship passengers. We saw several bald eagles perched in trees along the way - pretty awesome!

Back to the hotel for hot showers, and to wash out our clothes and the mud off our boots. Went next door to a restaurant called SALT - been thinking about it all day after perusing their menu this morning. Feasted on wonderful Alaska seafood and had some great wine.

Tomorrow we’ll meet up with the rest of the gang and head to Skagway.

Skagway Alaska 8.12.2016

Up early, which was no problem - a combination of the time change and anticipation of the adventure. Gary, Jeff and I took a cab to the ferry terminal - north out of town, past the airport. Beautiful drive - low clouds, but no rain. We met the others at the ferry, and by 8am we were ready to set sail.

The LeConte is a really nice boat - made in Sturgeon Bay, WI! It had a full kitchen, a solarium off the upper back deck (chaise lounge chairs with heat lamps), and several seating areas as well as a deck up front. We took over a large table and several surrounding seats - seemed to be plenty of room on the boat.

As we pulled away from Juneau, we could see Mendenhall glacier - looking spectacular even in the flat light. Surprisingly, we saw glaciers all morning - I had no idea they were so prevalent - it’s like what I expect to see in Glacier Bay Park next week. Along with the glaciers and snow fields, we saw spectacular waterfalls all along the route. Beauty and wonder.

It was a great cruise - visiting, enjoying the sights, reading and napping. We had a stop in Haines - longer than scheduled for reasons we didn’t know, and then arrived in Skagway about 3:30p. We were dismayed to find three large cruise ships there, along with the resulting crowds.

We checked into the rustic “Sargent Preston’s Inn” and had a little downtime before meeting for dinner. After a drink at the Red Onion Saloon, we went to a Mexican and Pizza joint for dinner - where our waitress “Pamela” was a hoot - changing some of our orders in what was a funny manner (corona, no you’ll have as amber … Large salad, no you want a small …).

After dinner, the town had quieted down and we were all pretty pooped. Tomorrow we’ll do a small hike and have our pre-Chilkoot meeting!

Skagway 8.13.2016 Down Day

History, beauty and adventure meet in Skagway - in full disclosure, a place I hadn’t heard of until our friend Gary Molz suggested that this year’s hike to be the Chilkoot Trail.

Skagway was Alaska’s first incorporated city as it was the gateway to the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898. It is nestled at the northernmost reaches of the Inside Passage, and the streets are lined with wooden boardwalks and buildings are restored so you can imagine what it might have looked like over 100 years ago.

To be fair, there was another city close by named Dyea - that is actually at the foot of the Chilkoot. The people who settled in Skagway were the wheelers and dealers and they built a more prosperous city, plus the had a better natural harbor - after the gold rush, there was nothing left of Dyea. Skagway has a year round population of around 1000 people, although it was more than 10,000 after the gold rush.. It sure has the feel of a frontier town, and I know it makes its living off of tourism, but it is odd to have the typical cruise ship shops (watches, jewelry and collectibles) in the mix. We expected more of an outdoor adventure feel that we’ve seen thus far. However, I was delighted to see that one entrepreneurial jeweler has a Starbucks counter inside their shop.

Some of us met for breakfast, then poked around some shops and National Park buildings. We met the ranger “Kari Rain” whom we felt like we already knew from the Chilkoot Facebook page. We listened in as she briefed two guys heading out on the trail later today - concerns about flooding with the all of the rain here lately - more about that later. We watched a movie which covered the book I’m reading on the Gold Rush - “Klondike Fever, The Life and Death of the Last Great Gold Rush,” by Pierre Burton. Great to see photos and some old movie clips to help highlight what I’d just read.

After putzing around all morning, we made a plan to take a hike into the mountains surrounding Skagway. Of course, at that time the fine mist turned into real rain - most of us opted for our gaiters just in case of mud (honestly we’re still all trying to figure out how they work and if we actually need them).

We stopped by the National Park center on our way to get an update on the flood conditions. The “Type A’s” in our group (most of us), also wondered if we could get our pre-hike briefing checked off and maybe get going earlier? While we were there, our lead guide Ken came in - also trying to get a handle on the situation. Seems that if it rains another three inches, the Taiya River will reach flood stage, and the park service closes the trail (that would mean we are wading through waist-deep water the first day - way exceeding the height of our gaiters!!!). Ken said he’d pick us up at 6pm for our equipment and gear checks, and we might have more information at that time.

Realizing that worry doesn’t help, our group took to the hills and had a great hike. Felt good to be moving and doing something other than the “Skagway Shuffle,” which is my term for the pace that the cruise ship walkers stroll along the wooded sidewalks of Skagway.

We did about 4 miles up to Lower Dewey Lake - the rain backed off and it was a glorious trek. A beautiful mountain lake and one side had a wide strolling path, the other side had us up and down over roots and boulders. We came upon a young woman fly fishing and chatted with her a bit. She’s a Montana native, up here working as the captain of the “fast ferry” between Skagway and Haines. Amazing that I think of Montana as pretty “frontier like,” yet here is this young woman seeking something even more remote.

When we got back to town, we trekked to the airport to see if TSA there had bear spray. We had some at home, left from our bike adventures but couldn’t bring it to Alaska on the plane. At $70 a bottle (at home pricing), we didn’t want to buy it here just to have to leave it behind. We’d heard that others leave it at hotels for those coming behind them to use, but our hotel didn’t have any (many canisters of white gas like we needed on our paddling excursion)! Ranger Kari suggested we inquire at the airport, and we struck gold there, but the grumpy front desk girl said “be sure to bring it back.” That’s the plan - hopefully we won’t use it!

Back to the hotel for a shower and then our guide meeting at 6pm. Beside Ken, we have a young girl named Tayler who is a paddling guide out of Haines, and a trainee guide named Liam. Seems like an engaging young team! We also met Doug, a 75 year old retired US State department employee from Washington state - that will round out our group of 12.

We discussed options if the trail is closed tomorrow - basically we’d hope we could get out the next day and condense the hike to 4 days. I remain hopeful we can get out as planned.

We went through an awkward exercise of each person laying out what they were planning on bringing along on the hike. Too much, too little. We quickly realized that the list we’d received from AMG was different than the list in Ken’s head - not an issue, but it’s funny when you think of the time our group spent agonizing over the list - calls to AMG to clarify, trips to REI … Only to hear “you don’t need that, I never bring that, etc." Then we got our sleeping bags, pads, trekking poles and packs and were dismissed for the night. In the morning, we’ll be back to divvy up the food and cooking supplies and pack our packs for real.

Went to dinner at Olivia’s with Tom and Jeff L - great seafood and salads from their garden. Walked back in the drizzle - hoping for no heavy rain overnight!

Skagway to Canyon City - Chilkoot Day #1 - 8.14.2016

Finalized our decisions about what to bring on the hike and packed everything else into my bag to be left at the guide house. Did all this with a feeling of dread, wondering how I’d handle the disappointment if the trail was closed and we had to scramble to find another night’s accommodations in Skagway and repack it all tomorrow.

Since the guide house is just two blocks away, we hiked over there and reassembled our group under the tented area from the nearby food trucks (they’re open from 4p-6p and again from midnight til 3am).

Ken was there with a report of favorable conditions - the river has gone down, and we are ok to leave today. He thought it’d still be better to wait a few hours to have it recede further. We had to go with his judgement as no one could see what the river looked like until we got there! He handed out our tents to add to our bags, and split up the food and cooking supplies so we all shared the load. I think my pack is around 45 pounds - a bit over the pack I trained with, but not unbearable. It feels pretty comfortable on my back, however it is a bit “used” and needed some attention - no chest strap and “the brain,” which is a detachable pack that rests at top had some issues with its straps and I had to tie it on. With three guides, I expected that they’d have had our rental equipment in working order before they handed it out to us. As it was, Ken spent a lot of the morning fixing issues with equipment!

Just after 9am, we were ready to go to the Trail Center for our briefing and to pick up our permits. The briefing, delivered by a very young ranger, wasn’t as good as what we’d watched Ranger Kari deliver the day before, so I was happy we’d had that opportunity. The bear movie was great, but will I really be able to calmly and assertively talk to the bear if I see one ... “Hey, Bear ….” Or will I scream and run?!

Back to the guide house to stand around - it was agony. Finally, Ken said it’d be another 20-30 minutes, so we headed out in search of coffee and food. For the first time that morning, I realized that the harbor was free of the big white monstrosities (cruise ships), and the streets were essentially free of people! Also many of the shops were closed - Skagway was sleeping in on Sunday morning. We found the local coffee shop and had breakfast sandwiches, smoothie for JT and latte for me. Then back to actually load up the van and head out!

The drive to Dyea took about 20 minutes - most of it on a rutted out gravel road that I think is typical of Alaska. Ken gave a great history lesson on the way, although it was difficult to hear over the sound of a 15 passenger van bumping over the road.

One more bathroom stop, packs on, photo op and we hit the trail. I felt giddy with excitement - all these months of talking, preparing - we were FINALLY doing it! After a few hundred yards, Ken stopped us for a final safety chat, and Gary read “The Hikers Prayer” to us - then we were really launched!

We entered a beautiful pine forest - lots of up and down, with one climb up “Saintly Hill” so named because if you don’t swear on your way up you’re a Saint? We found it to be no trouble.

The trail parallels the Taiya River, and at low spots in the trail it started getting muddy. I’d often trudge right through, feeling awesome with my $25 REI gaiters and boots that are new to me this year - LaSportiva, also from REI of course. If you were following my blog last year, you’ll remember that my boots fell apart last year when Jeff, Gary and I were hiking in Yosemite! Our guide, Martin, had some super glue that Jeff used to repair them for me.

The scenery and trail were a lot like the day hike Jeff and I did in Juneau a few days ago. While it wasn’t raining when we set out, it is a temperate rain forest, so everything is lush and green and wet! We saw dozens of varieties of mushrooms and many different kinds of berries. Ken was adept at naming most of them, as well as specifying which was poisonous and which wasn’t … But no one was risking the chances!

After a mile, we had a quick “packs off” break. After about three miles, we stopped at a beautiful spot along the gushing river for lunch - cheese, sausage and tack bread. Yum. Added some electrolyte powder to my water jug and it completed our feast. Then it was “packs on” and off to the flooded area!

I don’t know if the pictures will do it justice. The bridge and logs we needed to cross were intact - the logs just at water level. Beyond that was the flooded part, and we were lucky in that a helicopter had dropped the makings for another bridge. It appeared others had previously spread some of that out, so we were able to make a wobbly crossing without getting too wet.

Ken insisted on carrying our packs for us and he escorted us one by one across the water. I was happy for the help, having enough of a fear bridges in general and an awesome respect for the power of fast water - and this was fast COLD glacier fed water.

Some in our group changed from their boots to water shoes, my boots were fine and my socks stayed dry.

When the hiking became tough, it was easy to think back to the history of the trail and give yourself a “suck it up” talk! Here is a brief history taken right from the trail map:

The Chilkoot Trail is one of only three glacier-free corridors through the Costal Mountains. This made the trail a vital link in an extensive Native trading network before the gold rush. In the 1880s explorers, prospectors, and surveyors started to cross the trail in increasing numbers looking for gold and adventure. In 1896, word of a major gold discovery in the Yukon began to leak out. Within a year, thousands of would-be miners headed for the Chilkoot, the shortest and best known route to the Klondike. While the lightly equipped natives generally travelled in the spring and summer, the newcomers, burdened with equipment and intent on making the fastest possible time, struggled through the pass in fall and winter. In 1898, the boundaries of the Alaska panhandle were unclear. The question was settled in February 1898 when the North West Mounted Police occupied the summit of the pass. Working out of a small shack there, they collected customs duties and enforced the “ton of goods” rule - minimum supplies required to prevent starvation among the newcomers.

So, keeping this in mind - I picked up my high tech boots, hitched up my high tech pack and plodded along! As 4pm approached, the group fell silent as we trudged along. We came upon Finnegan’s Point, the first official campsite and took a pack off break. The occasional mist had turned to rain by then, so it felt good to crowd into the warming shelter and luxurious to have a pit toilet! In the shelter was a young couple from Winnepeg - good to visit with them a bit. Would have been easy to stop there too - but better to have a long day today and an easier day two. Had a good snack to power through the last three miles.

The history of Finnegan’s Point: Pat Finnegan and his two sons charged a toll for the use of a corduroy bridge and road they built near here until they were overwhelmed by hordes of gold seekers. During the fall of 1897, about 75 tents sprawled about the site. The settlement consisted of a blacksmith shop, saloon, and restaurant. The camp declined during the winter and by the summer of 1898 it had all but been abandoned.

So we slogged along, crossing board planks over beaver ponds, board bridges (with no railings) over gushing streams, up and down, over rocks, though muck. Pretty much a quiet group. Personally, I was resenting the hours we stood around this morning waiting to go - not necessarily productive thoughts! The rain kept up, not heavy, but constant. It was warm (high 50’s I’d guess), which made it difficult to keep rain gear on.

About 7:30p, we crossed one more gushing river and spotted Canyon City camp. I walked into the river and washed a layer of mud from my boots and gaiters. We quickly set up our tents and tried to keep the innards of our packs (clothes and sleeping bags) dry and mud free … I’m afraid that may be a losing battle this trip!

Once we got our tent settled, we ventured out to stash our snacks and toiletries (our smellies) in the bear box and found most of the others settled in the warming hut - a community log cabin with a wood stove in the center. There were about 8 other hikers in there, having got to camp hours earlier and already had their dinners! I decided I couldn’t stay in there - getting warm and snugly was going to make transitioning to our damp tent environment rough! I hung out on the porch, and soon the guides brought over a large hot pot of salmon and rice stir fry for our dinner and we all dug in. Besides the warming cabin and bear boxes, this camp has a “cooking shack” where all meal prep is contained. We also have the luxury of TWO outhouses, but this camp can get up to 60 people per night! Seems to have about 30 tonight based on the tents.

After dinner, we dipped our dirty dishes in the “fast moving water” (Ken’s instruction but it seems to go against Leave No Trace and our idea of sanitation), brushed our teeth and headed off to our tent. Exhausted and happy to be into this adventure!

Canyon City Camp to Sheep Camp (Chilkoot Day #2). 8.15.2016

Laid awake for awhile last night listening to the rain and the river. Jeff was also tossing and turning, but he pulled out the sleep mask that we sort of bought in jest, and soon fell asleep. I did the same and it must have worked for me too. Lots of repositioning all night - we’re sure used to tent sleeping this year, but we’re lamenting not bring our own air mattresses!

Up to join the group for cowboy coffee and granola eaten as cold cereal using powdered milk and creek water. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right? Ken says he’s never had someone get sick taking water directly from “Fast Moving Water,” but the lab tech in me is not so sure and would feel better with filtered water. I used our treatment tablets left from our kayak adventure, but … Time will tell!

It wasn’t raining, just felt moist. Had breakfast and packed up and we were on the trail by 9:30am. After just a bit, we crossed the Taiya River on a suspension bridge (not my favorite thing and we did two today) to check out the Canyon City ruins (a huge boiler, a large stove, and a bunch of metal pieces).

From the map: “The mouth of the Taiya River canyon had been a natural camping site for Natives and early prospectors decades before the stampede began. A more permanent settlement emerged after two freight companies began construction of their tramways that would haul goods up to Sheep Camp ($75 for the whole load of 1000 pounds). By May 1898, Canyon City was a prosperous village and freight transfer station with over 1500 people. The town was formally laid out with lots, blocks and streets. It boasted at least 24 businesses including barber shops, taverns, hotels, restaurants, outfitting stores, a real estate office, a doctor and a post office! The settlement even had electric lights, but within a year it was deserted.”

Back across the river, we continued the hike. Lots of up and down, through beautiful forests with all kinds of beautiful moss. We crossed a lot of rivers with gushing mountain streams - I was constantly holding the group up as I was stopping to take photos at each turn.

We stopped for lunch at an awesome waterfall. Lunch today was pita bread with turkey, cheddar cheese, tomato, avocado and mustard. We’re sure working up an appetite and it tasted amazing.

The group is getting on well. There isn’t a lot of chatter while hiking as the trail is narrow and we’re pretty focused on where to put our feet! We took a break at “Pleasant Camp” which got its name as its the only flat ground between Canyon City and Sheep Camp!

We saw just a few people on the trail today - other than that, the only sound is rushing water. The couple from Winnepeg - two get on much faster than 12, plus two guys we’d met last night (KJ and Michael from Anchorage) we saw walking BACK to Canyon City camp as one of them had left his sleeping bag in the warming hut there! We also saw a ranger that was headed down to headed to Canyon City camp, but he’ll be back at Sheep Camp for tonight’s 7pm ranger talk!

As we approached Sheep Camp, through the trees we could see the mountain range we’re going to climb into tomorrow - this is where it gets real! The view was too obstructed to get a good photo, but we could see through the trees a waterfall that is as amazing as any we’d seen in Yosemite!

We arrived at Sheep Camp about 4pm - our first site with platforms for our tents. They’re also constructing a huge lodge - this is one of the most popular sites as everyone stops here to rest up for the climb over the summit.

Sheep Camp supposedly began as a base camp for sheep hunters. In the stampede days, the population grew rapidly when winter storms slowed progress over the pass. At its peak, Sheep Camp boasted 16 hotels, 14 restaurants, 13 supply houses, 5 doctors or drug merchants, 3 saloons, 2 dance halls, 2 laundries, a hospital, bath house, lumber yard and post office serving 8000 transient residents!

It seemed like it was going to rain as we scouted for empty platforms, but didn’t really - no rain all day! We set up the tents, then I hiked back down to the river and washed the mud from my boots and gaiters and soaked my feet (for a few seconds!). Felt good to get a layer of mud off. Some R&R in the tent - heading down for dinner and ranger program. Big day tomorrow!

Sheep Camp to Happy Camp (Chilkoot Day #3) 8.16.2016

Epic day! The talk from Ranger John last night confirmed everything we’d read and heard about Chilkoot Pass.

We were in the tent ready for bed about 8pm - too exhausted to read, I put my eye shades on and it was lights out! Of course I woke up about midnight and thought the night should be over … But our 5am wake up call came soon enough. Down to the cook shack for coffee and instant oatmeal - Ken wanted us on the trail by 6am, but it was about 6:50am before we were packs on and headed out of camp.

Heavy rain most of the night, and I was dreading packing up and starting out. It actually was just drizzling - the sound of the rapids and the wind were most of what I was hearing! Our tent has amazing vestibules and we were able to get our boots on and our packs packed under there. Everything was wet, but it didn’t feel as miserable as I’d anticipated.

We headed out uphill! Up and up and up - over rocks, through creeks. As we approached tree line, waterfalls were everywhere - poking out of the mist. The scenery today was out of this world! Our number of breaks increased, and we kept ourselves fueled with lots of snacks.

Artifacts were everywhere on this part of the trail, rusted pieces of machinery, occasional shoe soles, chains, thick cable, old telegraph wire, broken dishes, etc. It was just over three miles from camp to the summit, and I don’t know the percent grade but let’s just say it was really steep! We reached an area called “The Scales” described on our map like this: “The Scales was known as one of the most wretched spots on the trail. This is where the packers would reweigh the loads they’d been carrying and charge higher rates for the final climb to the summit. Many stampeders became discouraged, discarded their equipment and turned back at the Scales. This location also supported at least 6 restaurants and coffee houses, two hotels, a saloon and the offices and warehouses of various tramway companies - all of these were fashioned out of canvas tents nearly buried in the snow.”

From The Scales, the 45 degree climb to the summit of the pass became known as “The Golden Stairs.” In the winter, two men carved stairs in the snow and charged a toll for their use. This is the scene of the iconic image of a line of men moving like ants on a gigantic anthill, which is the symbol that represents the Klondike Gold Rush today. For us, there was no snow, and no “stairs” here (which I think most of us expected). Instead, it was a steep field of cold wet boulders that stretched further than we could see in the fog. The hike turned into a crab-like climb - using our hands and arms to stabilize ourselves and pull ourselves over the bigger boulders - something I’ve never done before and it was exhilarating (and tough). Ken had brought climbing rope, just in case the fog / cloud was so thick that we couldn’t see one another - we could have lashed ourselves together. He also had walkie talkies for him and Tayler in the back, but the cloud wasn’t that thick and we stayed close by. Sometimes too close - there was danger of kicking a rock loose and hitting someone below you (we were to yell “rock” when that happened, and it did). There was also the issue of you were crawling and not necessarily looking up, so if you were too close you could accidentally ram the pack of the person in front of you with your head!

Tam, having spent a lot of time climbing at Devils Lake was like a monkey scrambling up the rocks. Doug was having a really tough time, due to a combination of his age, his pack (from which most of the weight had already been removed) and really short legs. Liam was in front pulling him up, and Gary stayed behind to boost and catch Doug when necessary. It was a great example of selflessness to see how they cared for Doug on this trip!

After reaching the summit, it was a bit down the same kind of boulder field, which to me is harder than up. There were also two false summits, but with the fog that wasn’t that big of a deal - when you can’t see the top, you can’t be faked out by a false summit. Our trail markers changed, and that was our only indication that we had entered Canada. We had our first stretch of snow then, and Gary reached it first and promptly demonstrated to us all just how slippery it was! Soon we reached the warming shelter, where the amazingly wonderful woman that lives up there two weeks at a time had made a cozy and inviting atmosphere for us - candles lit and three thermos’ with hot water (and I had a Starbucks Via in my snack bag)!

We stayed there too long probably - I had to get out and walk around or I knew I’d never leave! I went in search of the Ptarmigan family we saw on our way up to the hut - I heard them, but didn’t see where they were hiding. About the only wildlife we’d seen so far.

It was a cool and windy day - no real rain, some drizzle - or maybe it was just being in the cloud. As we headed down the Canadian side of the pass, the clouds swirled and we saw bits of blue sky, which increased as our afternoon continued (typical of what we’d seen in the passes in the Cascades).

The scenery was so different than what we’d been hiking through the past two days - still above tree line, low shrubs and alpine flowers, gorgeous mountains with snow patches and glaciers, but the cloud stuck pretty close to it and we only had glimpses of the blue ice.

We hiked along the shore of Crater Lake - still up and down - sometimes soft dirt path, sometimes rocks that were tough to navigate. Lots of variety in the hike today - an amazing day!

We had a snack break out of the wind - the sun felt great but the wind is still cool, so most of us stayed layered up. We arrived at Happy Camp about 5pm - platforms looking over the river - sunshine and wind to dry out our tents and air out some of our other sogginess! Unexpected pleasure!!!

It will be cool tonight, but so far it’s a great start and nice to be out of the drizzle we’ve experienced since arriving in Alaska. The guides made spaghetti with homemade red sauce and bacon! We had a snugly dinner in the cook shack / warming hut, capped off with tea and chocolate (hot drinks). I think everyone is feeling mellow after such a tough day!

Happy Camp to Bare Loon Lake (Chilkoot Day #4) 8.17.2016

It turned into a lazy morning with some confusion about what time we were going to get started - Canada is an hour different and no one really knew if the time on their cellphones was correct. We were all up and in the cook shack before breakfast and coffee were ready. It was a collegial environment in there anyway with different groups getting their days started. Breakfast was interesting, but not exactly satisfying - quinoa with dried fruit, eaten like hot cereal. Jeff L went outside and foraged a large bowl of blueberries and that was a delightful addition to the mix. As usual, we were the last group to leave camp, and I’m unclear what time that was.

It was our coolest night so far, and I was pretty chilled overnight - cursing myself for not bringing my own down sleeping bag (not going to depend on the guide company for equipment ever again)! Our stuff was drier though and packing up was way less miserable than it had previously been. We seemed to be in a cloud - and it felt damp, but it wasn’t raining. Everyone started out in many layers, but it was up some pretty steep hills so it wasn’t long until the layers started coming off!

Today’s route took us along a chain of really beautiful lakes - the glacier fed streams makes the water a beautiful milky blue color. The wind was pretty strong and thankfully still at our backs - it blue to clouds away, just teasing at first with some rays of sunshine, but eventually to clear blue sky which made the scenery really pop! Around every corner, I’d exclaim “oh my gosh!” and people would ask “what’s wrong?” … It was just breathtaking.

After hiking along a ridge high above Long Lake, we headed back down and across a bigger river (with a newish metal bridge) and stopped at Deep Lake camp. That was three of today’s nine miles and we had a packs off break and finished off the trail mix and had some electrolyte drink.

During the Gold Rush, horses were used to pull wagons, or sleds in the winter, along the route, and boats were built to haul things on the lakes. I could envision that along the very long lakes, but we still crossed some pretty rugged terrain between the lakes.

Back on the trail, we walked though a blueberry zone like I’d never seen in my life! You would knock them off the bushes just by walking past them. We’d grab handfuls as we went by, unfortunately I dropped as many as I ate. We were on high bear alert, but no sightings or signs. We walked along the shore of Long Lake, and came to some more ruins - including one of a boat and sled - this part of the trail the used the water and ice to transport their goods.

Soon we heard a powerful waterfall, and gingerly walked to the edge to look down. It was actually a series of cascades, cutting through a beautiful gorge. All of this awesomeness that not many people get to view made me feel really blessed to be on this journey. The hike became warmer and more people were shedding more layers. The trail was actually dry and dusty - what a contrast to even yesterday (or this morning)!!! Then we were crossing through another lower pass, and we’d completed another three miles and were at the site of Lindeman City Camp.

We stopped for a lunch break as well as a visit to their interpretive center and library (in a cute little tent) and a visit with the ranger. The coolest thing I saw in the interpretive center was a reprint of newspaper articles, including one written by a women with advice to other female Klondike travelers. I appreciated the number of shoes she suggested bringing, along with a cute bag even though a man would say that is superfluous!

Lindeman: In the spring of 1898, Lindeman had a general air of hustle-bustle. Sawmills, boat-builders, hotels, a bakery, and thousands of tents clustered around the lakeshore. Almost every tree within hauling distance of Lindeman was converted into boats, shelter, or firewood. In summer, a small steamer and several barges carried freight and passengers across the lake. In winter, the lake became a frozen highway to Bennett. With a population of 4000, Lindeman was large, but had no basis for permanence. A few log buildings were built, but most residents lived in canvas tents. By the fall of 1899, Lindeman was deserted.

Lunch was Potato Soup and Cheese Quesadillas - really hit the spot. At that point I would have taken a nap, but we put our packs on to slog out the final three miles. Tayler led us up some stairs first to check out an old cemetery. We’d previously been complementing Ken on how much he knew about history and plants in the area, and joking about even if he was making it up, as long as he said it confidence, we wouldn’t know the difference! Tayler took control and made up a great story based on a plaque up there - we all had a good laugh.

The going was really tough with a full belly, especially since we headed right up a steep hill. Eventually, we had a pack off break at a beautiful vista - it was actually feeling warm by then and most of us were down to short sleeve t-shirts, I laid down on the rock face and enjoyed the coolness of the rock!

Packs back on and we fell into an easy rhythm. Ken, Tam, Jeff and I were in the lead an discussing conservation, politics, careers, etc - weighty matters and before we knew it, Ken stopped and we were at Bare Loon Camp. By far the most beautiful camp - with tent platforms set among large granite rocks that reminded us of the Boundary Waters. We got settled, then gathered in a cooking pavilion with open sides overlooking the pretty lake - they must consistently have better weather in this part of the trail! One group of guys that had arrived at camp earlier told us they’d even swam in the lake and it wasn’t that cold (wasn’t glacier fed).

We had dinner, Tuna Mac & Cheese, then Jeff and I climbed up to the highest point where we could also see down into Lake Lindeman - the most beautiful 360 degree view I think I’ve ever seen.Loons on the lake calling as we settled into our tent - paradise.

Bare Loon Lake to Bennett (Chilkoot Day #5)

Rain on the tent fly in the early morning was a disappointment after yesterday’s sunshine - I was prepared to break out my shorts again! My day did get off to a good start today however as Jeff got my coffee cup out of the bear box and Ken delivered hot cowboy coffee to me in the tent.

It wasn’t raining that hard, and packing up was easy under the dry tent fly. We got to the cook shack just in time for chocolate chip pancakes (my only disappointment had been that I smelled bacon frying, but that belonged to a different group). We took our time over breakfast and hot drinks, finally cleared out just to make room for others in the shelter.

Just 4 miles to Bennett - a little up and down, but not too challenging. We stopped on several occasions for beautiful overlooks, but for the most part the group was quiet today - satisfied with the accomplishment, and ready to get back to clean clothes, showers and real beds.

We spent some time at the camp in Bennett as we arrived well before the train departure. Bennett is where the Chilkoot and the White Pass trails came together, and Lake Bennett is the headwaters for the Yukon River. They estimate 20,000 people gathered here during the winter/spring of the gold rush year - they cut down all the trees and more than 7000 boats were built. When the ice melted in May, there was the biggest boat race that the world has ever seen - 500 miles down river to the Klondike.

When the White Pass railroad was completed the following year, the Chilkoot Pass route was obsolete (especially since the railroad also bought out the tram companies along the Chilkoot). When the train was extended to Whitehorse, the town of Bennett was obsolete. The Park Canada guide told us they packed up the town and moved it to Whitehorse too - except the church, which amazingly still stands. We visited with the other hikers we’d met along the route this week, had another Quesidillas lunch, and headed for the train depot.

They reserve separate cars for the hikers - apparently we smell bad or something? I’m guessing if you’re a cruise ship passenger, the train ride is gorgeous. For me, I’d rather experience the scenery immersed in it as we were the past five days. We chatted, napped, ate snacks. Dan (aka Hiker #7) composed a poem, and gave me permission to publish it here. Jeff went on the platform between the cars and shot some great photos and videos.

Soon we were back in Skagway, but had to be cleared by the customs guy before we could get off. Couple block walk back to the Sargent Preston, which didn’t seem quite as shady after 4 nights on the trail. Ken brought our other luggage back and we quickly showered and found clean clothes to wear.

We gathered at the Skagway Brewing company for one last group dinner, with Ken, Tayler and Liam joining us too. Doug chose to not attend, and Dan & Tam were supposed to fly to Juneau, but weather was too socked in so we were delighted when they joined us too.

Fun night with laughs and tributes to all. It really was an amazing group and each one brought something to the team. No one had a meltdown, no one had a serious injury although most of us fell once or twice. Epic adventure.

Hoot on the Chilkoot

Step by step we plod away The din of nature… Rain, rocks, mud, liken, fungus Misty mountains teasing our view…

What prompted this venture?… Alaska…Adventure…& Bad Dog Gary

So a splintered troupe forms A variety of souls… With attitudes of plenty And best friends….those hiking pole…z

Not wanting much But views that are hefty… Or maybe a crutch

Not wanting much But the ladies of lefty… Or maybe a Kit Kat

Many thrills an hiking spills from tippy and slippy The rainy morns…a slight bit nippy…

Now we sit on the train with all of our smellies And pizzadillas a plenty…in our warm little belly

This adventure will remain in the banks of my memory… The friendships, and laughs…and fulfilling camaradererie!

The optimistic, but slightly pessimistic, Chilkoot hiker #7 (Dan)

Skagway to Gustavus 8.19.2016

Amazing to sleep in a bed. Up before six though to try to get some of my blog posted … I’ve been writing the notes all along, but I have tons of pictures and text to post, and not the best signal.

We showered again and walked down to Sweet Tooth for a big yummy breakfast. A “sin roll” for starters, followed by eggs, bacon, potatoes and toast! It was awesome. Then we shopped a bit more, and headed back to the hotel to collect our stuff and check out. We strapped on our travel backpacks and walked to the airport - about 12 blocks.

Flying “Alaska Seaplanes” was a casual experience! No security, not even ID check. We were there earlier than we had to be, because it just didn’t feel right to not be there. We handed over our borrowed bear spray, and had our bags weighed and waited for the plane. Our pilot to Juneau was Logan, and it was a bigger plane - probably 12 passengers. Jeff and I sat right behind Logan - amazing views of glaciers and waterfalls. We essentially flew the ferry route - just 12 times faster!

About 30 minutes in Juneau, and soon we were following another young man to a smaller plane - this one for 5 passengers plus the pilot. JT sat up front with the pilot. The view was cloudier, so I read the Juneau newspaper that someone had left in the seat pocket … We’d also watched some news on the TV this mornings - sure didn’t miss hearing the news on our five days of hiking!

It was a faster flight over to Gustavus - probably just 20 minutes. The scene at this airport was even more casual. I called the lodge and they said they’d already sent a car for us, and soon Jennifer was there. She’s been with the lodge two seasons and fills in as: driver, housekeeper, masseuse and waitress! She pointed out art galleries and stores in our 10 minute drive to the lodge.

Curtis, son of the family of owners greeted us and gave us the grand tour. Immediately felt like a warm and cozy place - great for a few days of R&R. It’s a beautiful property. The main house looks like it has about 6 rooms, and there are 6 cabins on the property. Chef Jon, from Stevens Point WI, is renowned around Alaska for his culinary skills. Breakfast is a buffet, dinner is a choice of two selections - one fresh fish and one from the land.

We unpacked and relaxed a bit in the quiet of our room. About 3pm, we decided to use the cruiser bikes they have and pedal back to town. We walked out of our room and saw Gary relaxing in the library loft - no Rose … Flight delay and she’ll be in tomorrow. We scooped him up for our cycling adventure. Our first stop was “Toshco,” sort of a warehouse grocery and hardware store. Apparently the guy’s name is Tosh, and he gets a lot of his wares from Costco, thus the name of the store! Toshco didn’t sell wine (and our Inn is run by Mormans' who will allow you to bring your own wine for dinner, but they don’t serve it). I asked the clerk at Toshco where I could buy wine - she looked at the clock and said “the liquor store just opened” and told me where it was.

We kept riding to “four corners” which is the town pretty much - gas station, coffee shop, deli, and several art galleries. We poked around in those a bit, then went down the dirt road just a bit and found the liquor store - what a riot! It’s owned by some fisherman, thus a fishing motif outside and inside. Summer hours are 4p-7p Mon thru Sat, Winter hours are 4p-7p MWF. Today it was staffed by two sixtyish female school teachers - one formerly from St Cloud MN and one from Michigan. It was great to just be in there and watch and listen as they greeted the other patrons - we were the only non-locals, but we were certainly welcome! At one point, two other teachers came in too! I selected a Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigot and we pedaled back to the Inn. While it wasn’t the best road for riding, the drivers were traveling slow, giving us a wide berth and a big wave. I especially loved the “moose crossing” sign, but I wasn’t talented enough to take a picture while keeping my cruiser bike upright!

Back to the Inn, Curtis was flying his drone around so we watched him do that a bit, then a group that included Curtis’s older brighter and his wife came back from kayaking so we chatted with them. It’s such a relaxed and friendly feeling here - great choice to come here to decompress after our strenuous hike!

We rested, and then we to dinner at 6:30p - fresh homemade warm bread, Caesar salads, halibut with homemade aioli sauce, Yukon gold potatoes and green beers with almonds. For dessert we had chocolate Creme brûlée. I had hot tea, and missed my other companions joining me for “hot drinks”

Curtis came around and recapped our activities planned for the next few days. He told us we should be at the 7:30a breakfast and the outfitter will pick us up for kayaking at 8:45a tomorrow. I told him that I hadn’t yet made our return to Juneau plans for Tuesday, and he rattled off our flight options and said he’d make the arrangements. He’s a young kid, but he gets guest services!

There was a table of about 8 guys here fishing, a table of 4 that was Curtis’ brother, and a family of five from Israel - having a two-week Alaskan adventure. They’ll be on our kayaking adventure tomorrow too.

Jeff went and retrieved our laundry - so awesome that the let us each do a load of our smelly clothes! Gary went off to the game room to see what was showing in the theatre (ping pong, pool table, video games and a 12 seat theatre). Not good to go to bed on a full stomach, but still feeling pretty exhausted!

Gustavus - Day #2. 8.20.2016

We’re going to have to stop these ridiculous big breakfasts, but today wasn’t a good day to start that. Chef Jon had bacon, eggs, sausage, French toast that was out of this world, homemade donuts and blueberry turnovers, fruit, yogurt …

Enjoyed our breakfast with Gary, then we went out to meet our kayak gang. Was a bit overcast, but not too cool - we went prepared with lots of layers though! They outfitted us with bib overall rain pants, jackets and the kind of boots everyone that is local seems to wear most of the time. We climbed in the van and worked on our waivers on the drive.

We had two guides - Patrick, the main guy and Dave, a friend of Patrick’s who was just helping out as they were short a guide - he works for a different company. We drove to the dock and unloaded the van and boats - tide was out, about a far as it could go - they said extra far now due to the full moon. We put in from the dock, which can be quite tricky - however the tandem kayaks we had were super stable. The guides said they’re close to impossible to tip over even if you’re trying.

With the family and their kids, it was evident that we weren’t going to go very far - that was a bit of disappointment to us - thought we’d cover a lot more ground on an all-day paddle.

We ended up in a tandem kayak, again, not what we’d prefer, but it worked out fine. The water was calm and we crossed the channel to an island - they said it was about a mile. We got into our boat first and started a lap around the dock, a sea lion jumped up out of water just off our stern and really startled us (I just saw the splash initially and thought it was a whale, until he did it again). That doesn’t happen in our lakes!!!

We saw lots of sea lions, but the coolest thing was as we were rounding the island and could see out to the passage to the ocean, not too far away a humpback whale broke the surface of the water. It was calm and peaceful enough that I heard that “pfffff” that they make, and then saw its back! It took three more breaths, and then waved its tail fluke as it took a dive. Wow.

Another cool thing was we got a chance to feel the power of the currents that are created as the tide comes and goes. One of the things on my bucket list is to kayak / camp in the San Juan Islands. I’d definitely do that with a guide because the navigation around the islands can be so tricky with the tidal currents (and the fog).

The sun came out and before we knew it, we had blue sky all around - more than I’d even hoped for! We beached our boats on the island and poked around the beach and hiked in a bit to see a forest service cabin that can be reserved for overnights. We had a yummy picnic lunch, and Jeff and I saw a sea otter swim by while we were sitting there. The sun was warm - who would have thought we’d be sunbathing on a beach in Alaska? Not me!

We got back in our boats and crossed back to the dock. I would have loved to cross over to the mouth of Glacier Bay and make a triangle back to the dock, but only one of the three boats with the family were able to make much progress, the other one with the dad and younger son floundered, and Patrick had Naomi, the 10 year old in his boat, which might have slowed him down more than helped him! When we got back to the dock, it looked very different as the tide had come back - so we stopped on the beach (shorter haul to the van).

Back to the Inn where it was very quiet - all must be out on excursions still! Showers and a rest before dinner. About 5:30p, we ventured out to the fire pit to see if anyone was gathered before dinner - we found Gary in the library again - this time waiting for Rose to finish up having a massage - lucky girl!

Out at the fire pit, we found no fire - but the sunshine was still warm, and Jeff went and found Jeff from the lodge, who started a fire. Soon we met Larry, a retired communications professor from Chicago (Northwestern). He’s up here fishing with s-in-law Greg and grandson Wilson. They shared their smoked salmon and crackers for appetizers, and soon the dinner bell rang and we all filed in for dinner.

Was great to have Rose join us and we lingered over “hot drinks” after dinner until they practically kicked us out of the dinning room. Rose went off to bed, and Jeff and I went to check out the game room (building) as we’ve had enough nights of just heading off to bed with full bellies. We played a couple of games of ping pong, pool, arcade shooting and basketball toss. It felt good to move, and in a few matches, I almost came close to beating him. In the end, 13-year old Wilson beat my best in basketball by 10 points, not including the awesome style points I was awarding him. We felt like we’d worked off our dinner then, so we strolled back to our room enjoying the beautiful evening.

Gustavus - Day #3. 8.21.2016

We actually set an alarm so we’d get breakfast before our 6:40am pickup for our all day Glacier Bay cruise. Rose and Gary, Jeff and I and the family from Israel were dropped off at the National Park dock for our cruise. The park is just about 5 miles from the Inn, and the dock is the end of the road.

It was a beautiful morning - blue skies and no wind - unheard of in these parts but we are blessed to string three nice days back to back! We were prepared for it to get colder on our glacier cruise, however.

Our kayak guides the other day told us that the area that is Gustavus was covered with glacier only 250 years ago - that was mind boggling to me! Here is how the park map explains it:

Until 10,000 years ago, continental-scale ice sheets came and went many times for seven million years. During this “Great Ice Age” these ice sheets would reach as far south as the upper Midwest of the United States (home). Glacier Bay today is the product of “Little Ice Age,” a geologically recent glacial advance.

The visitors center shows a map of what they thought the area looked like in 1680 - a broad valley with a river and snow fields above it. Little Ice Age came and went quickly by geologic measures. There was a Tlingit village not far from where the visitors center stands today, but when the ice came, they had to get in their canoes and relocate to Hoonah across the Icy Strait.

By 1750, they figure the glacier reached its maximum and jutted into Icy Strait. When Capt George Vancouver sailed here 45 years later, the glacier had melted back 5 miles into what is now Glacier Bay. When conservationist John Muir traveled here in 1897, the glacier had retreated 40 miles further up the bay. Today, we travelled 65 miles up the bay to view the tidewater glaciers.

One might wonder how the US ended up making this a National Park rather than returning the land to the Tlingits after the glacier receded … But back to the cruise:

It was a wonderful boat, and seemed to be at about a quarter of its capacity, so it was easy to navigate the viewing decks. We had two bench seats up front facing each other, and that made it great for visiting (and napping as the day went on). We had Ranger “JT” on board - extremely knowledgeable and friendly. Most unusual was the international mix of the passengers - he said the Americans were the minority on the cruise today!

We were underway by 8am, and within the first few minutes we’d seen sea otters, sea lions and humpback whales! JT (the ranger) invited us down to the main level and gave a talk about the birds we could expect to find when we slowed down next to South Marble Island. Naomi helped him with his talk by walking around with the photos of the birds - it was very cute.

To me, more exciting than the birds were the sea lions hauled out on the rocks around the islands. They were moaning and barking - climbing over each other and jostling for position. Some were so huge I’d have thought they were walruses! Tons of birds - most interesting to me were the Puffins, as I’d never seen them before. We did have some serious “birders” on board though, fun to see them discuss and debate what they thought each bird was…

We motored on towards the end of Glacier Bay, making good time with a very comfortable ride. We stopped at cove and picked up two young ladies from Whitehorse who’d been out kayaking and camping the past four nights. They were able to run the bow of our boat right on shore, and the girls tossed their gear up, handed their boats up, then a ladder was lowered for them to climb up. I think it’d be amazing to see parts of the bay from a kayak, but not sure about a multi-night adventure, and we’d take a guide for sure!

Next slow down was near an area where mountain goats are often seen (Gloomy Knob). We spotted one beautiful white goat, laying in the sun, watching us watching him. After awhile, he stood up to stretch. Brown bears (Grizzlies) are their biggest predator, so they hang out on rock ledges.

By now, we were seeing many glaciers - and all around us were large gorgeous mountains. For the second day in a row, the Fairweather Mountains were in full view, and we hear that is quite rare. Mount Fairweather is 15,300 ft and with the moist air off the Pacific, it makes a lot of the weather responsible for replenishing the glaciers.

The glaciers in the park (or maybe everywhere for all I know) had names, and their approximate dimensions were listed for us in the park visitor guide, along with their status (receding / stable / advancing / thickening / thinning). We also learned about types of glaciers: valley (remains within the walls of a valley), piedmont (flows out of a valley and spreads out), hanging (drops out of a valley) and tidewater (ends in the sea).

Along the way, they served hot drinks and Salmon Chowder - we’d go out on the deck for a bit, then inside to sit and warm up. It got colder and we added layers - happy to have hats and gloves along. Soon we got to the end of Tarr Inlet, where we saw a large cruise ship anchored (they allow two in per day). Most striking to me were the chunks of ice floating in the water as we approached the tidewater glaciers. Some had birds floating along on them. Apparently, they’re not ice bergs that impede the progress of the boat (but really, was I the only one thinking of the Titanic?).

We nosed right in there and had a great view of two tidewater glaciers: Grand Pacific (end was covered with dirt so not so pretty but it’s 2 miles wide and 34.5 miles long, status is slowly receding / thinning) and Margerie (1 mile wide and 21 miles long, it is stable and flows 6-8 ft per day so we got to see it calve off some ice several times).

Back in the boat as it was cold then, and they served sandwiches and chips for lunch. We motored down to the John Hopkins inlet to get a peak at the JH glacier, the only one thought to be advancing and thickening. Ranger JT warned us that as we rounded Jaw Point - many people, himself included, find it to be a spiritually moving experience - I was among them as I gasped out loud and was brought to tears by the unbelieablely beautiful scene. Much like the feeling I got the first time I saw the Grand Canyon - incredibly moving.

After that, we settled into our benches and took turns napping and reading the park guide. Somewhere along the way, we stopped to pick up two more kayakers and we dropped 4 people and two kayaks off at the same spot.

As we got further south, it warmed up again, and we started seeing sea otters and whales and more bird activity - reentering the modern age! Cookies were served, and I stayed on the back deck and soaked up the sunshine and smiled and waved at the sea otters until we docked again at Bartlett Cove.

It was interesting to be out on Pleasant Island the other day and see the contrast of the forest - the Island wasn’t impacted by the Little Ice Age glacier and thus it has a huge old forest. The forest around Gustavus and the park is “only” about 250 years old. The journey up the bay is like a trip from modern age to the ice age - all in one day! It was amazing to see how plants and animals are still claiming the “new” land.

I guess the boat was later getting back than scheduled, but Ranger JT said the captain was in communication with the airport and they’d hold the plane for the 5pm passengers - too funny. Where else does that happen?

Ranger JT gave a recap of some of the park programs, including a ranger chat about why the boundaries between the US and Canada are so screwy. Our ride was waiting for us, but we asked if they’d come back for us in an hour and they agreed.

The talk was fun, an older ranger who had lived in Gustavus for 30 years. We talked about the area and he told us stories of what some of the locals are like before others gathered for the talk. So the answer, best he can tell, was Russia selling “Alaska” to the US back when England controlled what is now Canada. As the World Wars approached, England needed the US to be their ally, so although the Canadians wanted a seaport, politically they had no power. The agreement though specified that the border was 10 miles from the sea - but no one defined “the sea” - does that mean ocean? The Inside Passage is salt water - is that the sea? A panel of judges and scholars were gathered to interpret the agreement and settled on the border as it is today (seems to me it favors US interests).

After the talk, we walked the path up to the lodge and checked out the gift shop (well Rose and I shopped while the guys went to flag down our ride). What we saw of the lodge was a scaled down version of some of the beautiful lodges at Glacier Park and Yosemite - but you sure can’t beat the location and the view. In trip planning, I looked at staying there, but the food and amenities at the Country Inn won me over.

Back to the Inn, Jeff and I changed into our swimsuits and did a long soak in the hot tub. The jets felt great on our joints and muscles still sore from the hike, and the hot water took the edge off from being chilled earlier today.

Dinner tonight was Dungenous Crab - delicious, but lots of work to get at the meat! On the table were the traditional “nut cracker” set that all four of us said our parents had - the pliers-like cracker and the pointed spears. Just as we were digging into our crab, Curtis came in and said the Moose were in the front yard! We all rushed out, and there she was momma with a big yellow collar (Moose #27) and to calves - one sticking close to mom, and one hanging out in the bushes and then he’d sprint across the open space to follow her. It was awesome. They walked behind the cabins, and then we went back inside and were able to see them from the dining room.

Once again we stuffed ourselves, and once again went to bed shortly after dinner … although we had lingered a bit after dinner finishing our wine and “hot drinks.” Also, it wasn’t quite dark and Rose persuaded Curtis to let her fly his drone. It was fun watching how nervous that made him! From up very high (you could hardly see the drone), they were able to see where the moose had bedded down just off the open meadow.

Gustavus - Day #4. 8.22.2016

Got up to have breakfast with Rose and Gary, then said goodbye as they flew back to Juneau today, returning home tomorrow. Sadness all around with the end of such an epic journey.

We talked about what do to this morning, back to our room to read and nap a bit. This kind of downtime in unusual for us in our “real life,” but I’ve already gotten used to it. It really helps that there is no internet here.

After about an hour of idleness, we decided to take the bikes out and explore the side roads of Gustavus. The crude map at the Inn showed a “Crane Refuge” at the end of one of the roads, so we headed down there. The road turned to dirt, and then just to a narrow path - eventually the grass was too thick to ride our one-speeders down, so we parked them and walked a bit. There were some houses / cabins - nothing that looked very occupied at the moment, but we were wary of trespassing, and where were were headed was thick pines, not the sort of place we know for cranes to hang out. So we never saw cranes - could be that they’ve migrated already and the grassy area would be where they’d hang out in summer? Not sure. … We did see several blue herons while kayaking the other day. Four were flying in formation and they stopped on the railing of the town dock for a brief moment - not heron behavior that we’d ever seen, so they could be in a pack ready to migrate too.

We came back and picked up our bikes and checked out another dead end road - this one had been freshly graded without much vehicle traffic since then so we were able to see moose tracks and also a large dog or maybe wolf tracks. We got to the end of the road and a guy came out from behind his garage and sort of startled us (which was clearly fun for him). We chatted with him a bit. He came to Alaska for the summer in 1982, and never left. He lives in Juneau, but has a summer / weekend place here at the end of the road for when he needs to get away from it all. Quite a character.

Back on our bikes, turned on the dock road - the nicest road in town, but it was probably redone when ferry service started here several years ago (it comes twice a week). Although we’d driven this is the van the other day, you see more details by bike! Community gardens, a small campground, a golf course! When we got to the dock, the two taxis were there along with some resort vans - apparently the ferry was due in. We watched for a bit, then rode back to Sunnyside Market and ordered smoothies and a sandwich to go for later. Sitting on the lawn there, we were able to get some internet - downloaded email, checked in with Ryan, then back to the Inn.

The day was a bit overcast with comfortable temperatures. We stuffed our day backpacks with warm clothes and Cade drove us back to the dock for our half day whale watching cruise. We met our captain, Todd - and his boat “TAZ.”

I’d booked this excursion in the spring. However in June, we went out whale watching in Santa Barbara CA while Jeff was attending the IFA Summer Board Meeting. The experience we had that day was phenomenal - we saw hundreds of dolphins, and dozens of humpbacks and blue whales. The humpbacks were really performing - breaching, waving their fins at us, etc. So we entered this trip thinking there was no way it could top that!

The ferry (the LeConte) was still there and we left about the same time. Todd started out appearing that he was going to cut in front of the ferry - made us quite nervous. At the last minute, he turned and circled around behind it. We saw several sea otters - too busy working on their lunch to worry about us (it seemed we were more of a threat to them in kayaks than these bigger boats). We got out past Pleasant Island and saw three Indian canoes on the beach - they’re making their way from Hoonah to the park where a ceremony is happening on Thursday to dedicate a replica of the tribal lodge that’s just been built there.

Then we headed out across Icy Strait. We stopped when someone spotted the spout from a whale - watched that a bit, but Todd wanted to motor on to where he thought we’d find a whole pod of whales, and we did! It was amazing to see them moving in all directions - probably 10-12 whales total. Todd dropped in this sonar thing and we could hear the noises they were making - gurgles, moans, belching, etc. AMAZING!!!

The engine of the boat was off, and it was so quiet - other than our excited voices the only sounds were that of the whales chatting and the “pffffff” they’d make when they came to the surface. We moved the boat a few times, then of course you’d see 4 spouts where we just were. The boat was small enough that we felt very close - and once one was coming right for the boat and we could see into its nostrils and the bumps on its skin - then it rolled slightly and went right under the boat! Yes - this did exceed the excitement of that awesome Santa Barbara trip!

Back to shore just after 4pm and I convinced Cade to stop by the liquor store to get another bottle of wine. We cleaned up and headed to dinner - all new clients at the resort other than us, and we enjoyed chatting with two couples from Idaho (the couple from Boise had heard of BrightStar but didn’t know our friend Caroline - but they do all have elderly parents)! Another family from Michigan - 50th wedding anniversary and they brought their sons and one granddaughter to Alaska to celebrate. And a table of 4 fishermen that we didn’t chat with.

Halibut was on the menu and it was awesome. We’ve sure had our fill of amazing and fresh seafood during our trip. Headed to the game room for a bit before going to bed. There was blueberry cheesecake to be worked off!

About dinnertime, it started to rain - the first actual rain we’ve experienced in days. We’ve sure been fortunate to have the clear days that we had while visiting Gustavus.

Gustavus to Juneau 8.23.2016

Up early for breakfast as they wanted to get everyone served before early AM activities. Like the sloths we’ve become, we laid down after breakfast and dozed / read / wrote until it was time to leave for the airport about 10:15am. The light rain continued most of the morning and it felt awesome to be doing nothing.

Our flight was scheduled for 11:05am - we arrived at the airport about 10:40. At check in, they ask your name, take your bags and weigh them and handwrite a tag that matches the plane’s ID number. No ID check, no security. It was a jovial atmosphere, with a bunch of locals there to bid farewell to one of their own until next April or May. The two town taxis, a Resort van and the park lodge van were there to meet the three little planes coming from Juneau at that time.

Our plane was late, but no worries. It was great people watching and the light rain had cleared and it was becoming yet another sunny day in Gustavus. We went out with two other passengers on plane #2 - this time we honestly had a pilot that was early twenties if that. No matter - he seemed competent and attentive.

A gorgeous flight - looking at beaches, trees, waterfalls. It was cool to fly over Pleasant Island and see how huge it was - lakes and large hills that we didn’t see on our little hike on the island. Awesome view of Mendenhall glacier as we landed in Juneau.

Decided to walk to the 0.7 miles to the hotel I’d booked long ago on Expedia. Not the closest to the airport and I can’t recall what my thought process was at the time! It was “Grandma’s Feather Bed,” but branded as a Best Western as well. John Denver fan that I am, it was probably the name that drew me in. We can tell lots of stories involving hotels I’ve booked online - this one though was a positive experience. An old renovated Victorian Inn - more like a B&B experience except the bed was super comfortable and the walls weren’t thin!

We checked in, worked on uploading some photos to the blog, downloading email, etc. Then decided to see if we could walk up to the glacier. We set out using a map from the hotel, but then realized it wasn’t to scale. The map on my phone showed it to be about 3 miles one way - but we can do that! There was actually a nice bike path leading up. Solid stream of tour buses going there too, and negotiating the crowded visitors center and paths around the center nearly made us crazy. I can’t imagine what it’s like for the Gustavus locals when they come to the city and mix with the crowds.

We did enjoy the walk and the visitors center. There was a really awesome film that showed the vastness of the Juneau Ice Field that is the source for many glaciers, not just the Mendenhall. Really interesting to see some of their research. The film ended with a Tlingit artist weaving one of their renowned blankets, talking about the wool from the sheep and how everything in their culture is so connected to the land, sea, plants and animals.

I think the magic of this trip for me was connecting to nature in a way that I don’t in my day to day living. There is something in nature and in exploring new places that really refreshes my soul and I feel so blessed for having had this great adventure experiencing Southeastern Alaska!!!

“What’s next?” is the question we generally hear when we return from an adventure. The answer right now is that we have no idea, but the list is long!